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Montana Department of Transportation Aeronautics Division Vol. 68, No. 9 September 2017

A crew of five mechanics from Worldwide Aircraft Recovery, Ltd. of Bellevue, NE, began work in Helena on August 28th to dis-

assemble the oldest remaining Air Force EC-121 Warning Star in preparation for the move to its new home at a museum in

Atwater, CA. The “Connie” arrived in Helena in July 1981, on a ferry flight from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, AZ

when the University of Montana, Helena College purchased the aircraft from the Air Force for $10,000. The aircraft was de-

clared surplus in 2009 by the University, and offered to any museum for the taking. The Castle Air Museum is covering the

reported $200,000 cost of disassembly, moving, and reassembly of the airplane.

The EC-121 Warning Star served both the Navy and Air Force from 1954 until 1976. It was operated with a flight crew of six,

and a typical radar crew of 11 to 25 technicians. According to Worldwide President, Marty Batura, the work is expected to be

completed by September 18th when an estimated 10 semi-trucks will roll out of town. The fuselage will be moved in one piece,

on a trailer 16 feet wide by 149 feet long; each wing will be moved on its own truck. A comprehensive route survey has been

conducted by the company to document every overpass and roundabout the convoy will encounter on the cross-country trek to

Atwater, CA. Batura’s crew are old hands at this sort of operation, having recently moved an SR-71 Blackbird to a museum in

Kalamazoo, MI. Photos of some of the company’s other projects may be found at: https://www.worldwideaircraft.com/

projects.html.

Venerable Lockheed Constellation

Headed for California Museum

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Administrator’s Column

Thanks: To all of you that have and continue to put in countless hours responding to the many fires that our state has been afflicted with. What a blessing and relief to have weather conditions to aid in the reduction of these fires. Please pray for the men and women that have been on the fire lines every day working to protect all of us.

Reminder: The airway beacon working group that was appointed by MDT Director Mike Tooley has provided two options for consideration. The options were distributed by news release in last month’s newsletter and in paid advertisements in the Billings, Missoula, and Helena newspapers. Public informational meetings were held in August. Following the written comment period that closes on September 30, 2017, the recommendations will be distributed to the Director for a decision. Written comments may be submitted at: http://www.mdt.mt.gov/mdt/comment_form.shtml.

Retirement of Neptune Aviation’s P2Vs: Neptune’s red-tailed Tanker 10 flew hun-dreds of firefighting missions all over the United States. Earlier this summer, it flew its final mission: being placed at the entrance of the Missoula International Airport to greet incoming passengers. Ole’ Tanker Number 10 dropped over 11million gallons of retardant during its life -- that’s more than 843,000 kegs of beer. Neptune will re-tire the P2V as it transitions to the jet tankers that are faster, carry more, and are more reliable, although the P2’s did amazing work. Neptune will host a public going-away party to say farewell to the remainder of its active P2V firefighting air tankers on Saturday, September 30 from 1:00-6:00 p.m. Make plans to pay tribute and join Nep-tune Aviation as it says goodbye to its beloved fleet of P2V airtankers at its Missoula campus. An afternoon of adventure, including flyovers, water drops, static displays and more is on tap.

Remote Communication Outlets (RCO): The FAA has published its Notice of Final Policy decreasing the number of RCO's in the United States. The Aeronautics Divi-sion reviewed the Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) when it was published in April of 2016, and it was determined the proposed rule would not adversely affect the Montana aviation community because there would still be redundant Flight Service frequencies available. The current system of RCO’s was established at a time when Flight Service handled more than 10,000 radio calls per day. They now handle less than 1,000 calls per day. The final rule will eliminate RCO’s from 641 locations in the U.S. beginning in 2017, for an annual savings of $2.5 million. RCO locations to be eliminated in Montana include Butte, Great Falls, Miles City, Judith Mountain at Lewis-town, Lakeside, and Miller Peak near Missoula. Here’s a link to RCO’s to be eliminat-

ed, as well as those to be retained: http://www.mdt.mt.gov/other/webdata/External/

Aero/Remove-Retain-RCO-List.pdf.

Small Airplane Certification Rule: The final rule to overhaul airworthiness standards for general aviation (GA) aircraft is in effect. The rule was in response to Congres-sional mandates that directed the FAA to streamline approval of safety advancements for small GA airplanes. The rule should allow for a quicker approval process for safety-enhancing technologies while reducing the cost to the industry. The new rule trans-forms standards for airplanes weighing less than 19,000 pounds and with fewer than 19 passenger seats. The rule also adds new standards to address in-flight icing con-ditions and GA loss of control accidents. Aviation manufacturing is our country’s top net export. Let’s hope these changes allow a more responsive pace for keeping up with aviation designs and concepts.

Montana and the Sky

Department of Transportation

Steve Bullock, Governor

Mike Tooley, Director

Official monthly publication of the

Aeronautics Division

Telephone - (406) 444-2506

Fax - (406) 444-2519

P.O. Box 200507

Helena, MT 59620-0507

www.mdt.mt.gov/aviation/

Debbie K. Alke, Administrator

Aeronautics Board

Tricia McKenna, Chair

Robert Buckles, Member

A. Christopher Edwards, Member

Dan Hargrove, Member

William (Bill) Hunt, Jr., Member

Fred Lark, Member

Roger Lincoln, Member

Walt McNutt, Member

Jeff Wadekamper, Member

Editor: Patricia Trooien

Follow MDT on social media!

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Search Pilot Clinic Held in Eastern MT

More than 30 pilots from 15 different counties across the state of Montana attended the MDT Aeronautics annual Search Pilot Clinic on September 8, 9, & 10. The ground school portions, held at the Fort Peck Hotel, included: aviation meteorology, Mon-tana's air search & rescue system, standard search patterns, flight training scenarios, using the iPad for air search & rescue, directional finding equipment, and survival techniques. The flight instruction portion of the clinic was hosted at Lanny Hanson’s hangar on September 9 &10 at the Fort Peck Airport.

Harold Dramstad, Bureau Chief of Safety and Education for the Aeronautics Division, covered standard search patterns, flight training scenarios, spotter techniques, and case studies. Grant Hicks, with the National Weather Service, discussed aviation weather. Flight instructor, Tim Dwyer, offered guidance on utilization of iPads and GPS technology. Peter Graf, with the Civil Air Patrol, provided field experience with Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELT) and car top antennas were used to locate simulated ELT signals. Rod Alne & James (Cowboy) Collin’s, with The Peak, Inc., classes included exercises and discussion on air crash survival, such as shelter, fire craft, first aid, and signaling skill. Student pilots logged approximately three hours each of dual instruction, flying two simulated search missions from Fort Peck to Hindale, Jordan, Circle, Wolf Point, or Glasgow.

This is the first time the Search Pilot Clinic has been held in eastern Montana and participants made it known it was appreciat-ed. MDT Aeronautics would like to give special thanks to Lanny & Jamie Hanson for opening their home/hangar. Thank you to all participants, instructors, and Lucas Locke for fuel. Thank you Dottie Dwyer for pictures below. See more pictures on page 7.

Instructors left: Ted Schye, Charles Trower, Harold Dramstad,

Peter Graf, Tim Dwyer, Russell Leader, and Russ Dahl

Pilots, Tom Hayneman

left, Chester Meyer

right, and instructor

Peter Graf center,

learning how to use a

newer Hammerhead

direction finder

Pilots (left) listen

as Rod Alne &

Cowboy Collins

discuss survival

techniques at

Winter Harbor

Pond

Early

Sunday

morning

departure

Preflight

with

student

pilots

and

instructor

Russ Dahl

Lanny and Tom Hanson fueling an aircraft between flights

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164th

Airlift Wing Visits West Yellowstone

The Tennessee Air National Guard paid a visit to Yellowstone Airport in August for some fuel and a little rest and relaxation.

The unit was flying their Boeing C-17 Globemaster III back to Tennessee after completing a domestic mission in Alaska. The

crew was excited to provide a tour to the West Yellowstone 7th grade class as well as a handful of seniors. The students

were in awe of this massive machine and found the experience to be fun and educational.

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One of the aerial firefighting operators seen in Helena during this busy fire season is Aero-Flite, Inc. based out of Spokane, WA. They have been operating both the Avro British Aerospace RJ85 (4-engine jet), and the amphibious Bombardier CL-415 (Superscooper) aircraft out of HLN recently. The RJ85 is a 3,000 gallon capacity tanker with a top speed of 415 knots. The Superscooper (pictured below) has a 1,620 gallon water capacity; two 810 gallon tanks can be filled from area lakes in 16 seconds. With a lake in relatively close proximity to a forest fire, one Superscooper can deliver up to 32,000 gallons of water per hour to the fire. More information about this operator can be found at http://aerofliteinc.com/. A video is also available on facebook.com. Search “Lolo National Forest CL415 fixed wing aircraft”.

Firefighting Activity out of Helena Regional Airport

In May of 2017, the Flathead Municipal Airport Authority transferred ownership of the White-fish Airport (58S) (pictured left) to the MDT Aeronautics Division. The airport, which is 1.7 miles east of Whitefish, MT, was developed in 1963 and will continue to be operated as a public airport. The elevation of 58S is 3,066’ and the 2,560’ X 75’ turf runway (11/29) is in good condition. There are bicycles available to use. Whitefish Lake offers good fishing of lake trout, mountain whitefish, bull trout, rainbow trout, and northern pike. The Whitefish Moun-tain Resort is located 8.9 miles from 58S and offers a variety of summer recreational oppor-tunities, including mountain biking, an alpine slide, the Summit Nature Center, zip line tours, an aerial adventure park, ski lift rides, and hiking, through September 24th. The airport is closed during winter from November 1

st

through the 31st of May. Information about

Whitefish Mountain Resort can be found at https://skiwhitefish.com/summer/.

Whitefish Airport ownership transferred

to MDT Aeronautics Division

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Yellowstone Airport Celebrates Christmas in August

In Yellowstone, Christmas is celebrated twice a year—once in August and once in December. The tradition stems from an

event that occurred over 90 years ago. In 1925, a sudden blizzard stranded Yellowstone Park visitors at Old Faithful Inn.

Although the primary mode of transportation had recently began shifting from stagecoaches to personal automobiles, the

visitors were snowbound. Rather than lamenting in the fact that there was snow in August, the guests approached the situa-

tion with optimism and vigor. Since it “looked like Christmas” outside, the guests treated it as such, and began singing

Christmas carols and exchanging gifts.

Yellowstone Airport continues this tradition, as it has for over 20 years! The celebration for the airport is very fitting being

that the airport is closed during the winter months and unable to observe the holiday season.

On August 25, 2017, the celebration continued as employees, community members, friends, and family (pictured above)

gathered for a pot-luck lunch. Air Methods, the air medical service provider, kindly provided the main course, which was

catered by Famous Dave’s Bar-B-Que. Prior to the feast, those in attendance were graciously greeted and informed of the

history of the tradition by Jeff Heaney, who has provided 36 years of service at the Yellowstone Airport and attended every

Christmas in August celebration so far.

Gratitude and appreciation was expressed, and gifts were generously provided to the children. Until the snow falls in

December and the celebrations begin again, may we all continue with the optimism and vigor of those that pioneered this

tradition.

Yellowstone Airport manager, Jeff Kadlec's children William and

Katarina.

Pot-luck lunch.

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Alternative accessible formats of this document will be provided on request. Persons who need an

alternative format should contact the Civil Rights Bureau, Department of Transportation, 2701 Prospect Avenue,

PO Box 201001, Helena, MT 59620. Telephone (406) 444-9229. Those using a TTY may call

(800) 335-7592 or go through the Montana Relay Service at 711.

Calendar of Events

September 23, 2017 - Poker Run - Rules: 1. Fly Safe. 2. Register pilots name and N-number. $10 per participant entrance fee. 3. Pilots/participants must fly to at least 1 airport: Bozeman (BZN), Three Forks (9S5), Townsend (8U8), Helena (HLN). Fly to any airport, no particular order. 4. Do NOT open envelopes! Envelopes opened by judges. Envelopes opened early will pick new envelopes at BZN. 5. Out of town participants can fly to airports and land at BZN last, then register prior to prize selection. 6. Poker hand filled in at BZN airport if not enough cards are not obtained. Maximum five cards. $5.00 for each additional card decided prior to opening any envelopes. 7. Best hand gets pick of prizes, 2nd best hand gets 2nd choice, etc. Contact Robert Shropshire at (406) 580-7773 for more information.

September 30, 2017 - Airplane Wash - From 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Fly-In or Taxi-In airplane wash at Edwards Jet

Center Ramp, Billings Airport. Single engine - $25, Multi-Engine - $50, or donation of your choice. Lunch available for $7.00.

Buy raffle tickets for 50 gallons of fuel provided by Edwards Jet Center (1 ticket for $5 or 5 for $20). Fundraiser for Big Sky

Chapter of The Ninety-Nines Scholarship Fund. RSVP 406-208-4569. Contact Andi Robinson at (406) 366-0692 for more

information.

January 10 &11, 2018 - Inland Search Planners Clinic - Will be conducted at the Wingate Hotel, Helena, MT from 8:00

a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For more information call (406) 444-2506.

February 9 & 10, 2018 - Flight Instructor Renewal Course (FIRC) - This course meets the FAA’s renewal requirements

certified flight instructors (CFI & Chief CFI). For more information call (406) 444-2506.

March 1-3, 2018 - The 34th Annual Montana Aviation Conference will be held in Missoula, Montana at the Holiday Inn Mis-

soula Downtown located at 200 South Pattee, Missoula, Montana. Rooms have been blocked at prevailing government rate

plus tax. Reserve your room by calling (406) 721-8550 and reference rooming block Montana Aviation Conference 2018.

For more information, contact Effie Benoit at (406) 444-9580 or efbenoit@mt.gov.

See more pictures from the Search Pilot Clinic article on page 3 below.

Air Markings Continue at Fairfield and Dutton Airstrips

Pilots Craig Hostetler & Cliff Sabo preflight aircraft with instructor Tim Dwyer Pilots Lucas Locke & Tony Dolphay practice using car top antennas

Janine Schwahn, Charity Fechter, Deb Schwahn, Kelley McCallister, and Miranda Edwards, managed to paint air markings

at Fairfield and Dutton airports in spite of smoky conditions. Friends Lisbeth Stump, Missy Harlow, Sarah Wahrer, and Scott & Travis Gasvoda assisted.

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Aeronautics Division

2630 Airport Road

PO Box 200507

Helena, Montana 59620-0507

5403 September 2017

Vision Zero: A Goal for Everyone

In 2016, there were 190 fatalities on Montana roads.

What does that mean? 190 parents, children, grandparents, friends,

siblings, spouses, and other loved ones had lives that were cut short. It

also means countless tears and shattered lives of those left with the

aftermath of unsafe driving behaviors. Which loved one are you

prepared to lose? If your answer is none, then Vision Zero is also

YOUR goal.

It will take every one of us to work towards the day that Vision Zero is

met, and the fatality total reads "ZERO." Two of the highest contrib-

uting factors to traffic fatalities in 2016 were alcohol and no seat belt.

These are behaviors that can be changed! Start by always wearing

your seatbelt and planning for sober transportation. Remind your loved

ones and those around you to do the same.

-Director Mike Tooley, MDT

Visit www.mdt.mt.gov/visionzero for more information.

This document printed at state expense. Information on the cost of publication

may be obtained by contacting the Department of Administration.